'We can't have that here in Manitoba': Rallies speak out both for and against 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion

Chants rang out on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislative Building Saturday as hundreds gathered in support of young queer and trans people.

“I am a queer parent, I am a non-binary parent. What I am saying is that I want my child to be able to talk about his queer family and the beautiful people that love and support us,” says Brit Brade, a parent and educator at the event.

Parents, children and teachers were among those rallying alongside the No Space For Hate Collective, including representatives from the Manitoba Teachers’ Society.

“Our number one call within our professional code is to support students and families. But that means supporting everybody,” says Cynthia Taylor, the vice-president of the organization.

Rally participants were part of a counter-protest in response to the 1 Million March 4 Children stationed at Winnipeg’s City Hall, where dozens of demonstrators rallied against what they describe as “gender ideology” in schools.

They also called on the new provincial NDP government to remove books they say are too sexually explicit for children.

“We have to let the new government know that the parents do not want this for their children,” event organizer Shelley Smith says. “We don’t hate any kids, we don’t hate any trans kids, nothing. But you can’t do that to little kids with those books.”

Smith did not provide specific information about the books she referred to.

“People need to stand and rise, our voices need to be heard,” Smith added.

Parents, children, and teachers were among those rallying alongside the No Space For Hate Collective Saturday (Source: Alexandra Holyk, CTV News)

Saturday’s rallies were the first march and counter-protest organized since the fall of the Progressive Conservative provincial government, which championed parental rights as part of its campaign.

Newly-appointed Minister of Families Nahanni Fontaine reaffirmed the Manitoba government’s position with a statement released Saturday, saying: “Our government stands firm in support of 2SLGBTQI+ Manitobans, and against any form of discrimination or intimidation that puts the lives of 2SLGBTQI+ youth at risk.”

The demonstrations in Winnipeg are only a fraction of the cross-country controversy and confrontations over school curricula.

The rallies come on the heels of the Saskatchewan government’s passing of its controversial “Parents’ Bill of Rights” Friday, requiring parental consent before children under the age of 16 can use a different gender-related name or pronoun at school.

“That’s simply unacceptable. We can’t have that here in Manitoba, we can’t have that anywhere here in Canada,” says the Rainbow Resource Centre’s Bryce Byron.

In terms of next steps, both groups say they plan to keep calling for action from the provincial government to support young students in Manitoba.

Winnipeg police tell CTV News they had resources in place at both rallies, but no arrests were made.